Urban Development
Will New Development Make it Better, or Worse?
Development, or no development? Nathan Norris writes that untouched landscapes always rate highly in comparison to development proposals, so it is important to use visual tools that can help quantify the tradeoff and find ways to compensate.
Kazakhstan's Shiny and Empty New Capital
Kazakhstan built a new capital city in 1997 in far-off Astana. This piece from The New Yorker takes a tour of the city, and finds a unique architectural development underway, but a city still in its early years of formation.
Football Team's Cleveland Plans Could Learn from the Past and Public
The Cleveland Browns football team has announced plans to revitalize a lakefront part of the city. Those plans could benefit from more public input and could learn from previous success, according to this article.
The False Debate Between Cities and Suburbs
The debate over urbanism often pits suburbs against urban areas. But the real debate is about walkable areas versus car-dependent ones, according to Christopher Leinberger.
City Attempts to Find "The Right Price for Parking"
This week the city of San Francisco will launch its SFpark Program in an attempt to appropriately price street parking and reduce traffic due to people cruising for available parking spaces.
Urban Farming on Brownfield Sites
At a national conference on brownfields, representatives from the EPA outlined how to safely farm an urban garden on top of a contaminated site.
The Chinese Alternative to Home Ownership
In this article the author describes the Chinese practice of assigning individuals apartments which are little more than shells. He claims that the act of customizing the shell creates a sense of ownership similar to that of homeowners in the U.S.
Tel Aviv's Controversial Skyline Plans
Once low-slung, Tel Aviv has seen a number of towers shooting up randomly around the city. A new master plan gives the green light to more towers, but tries to pull them into a more coherent urban form.
Return to Treasure Island
This Thursday, San Francisco's Planning Commission is expected to approve one of the most anticipated developments in the city's history: the reconstruction of the former naval base on Treasure Island into living space for 19,000 residents.
Urban Grocery Stores a Hot Market
Grocery stores are having a renaissance, with new, smaller stores being built in urban areas and new ideas in store layout and design to attract pedestrians, not just drivers.
The LEED Silver, Prefab, Quick-to-Build Apartment Building
When one thinks of prefab, its usually a lowslung modernist building sitting by itself on a lot. A group of designers and engineers are debuting a plan for multi-story prefabricated buildings.
China's Ghost Cities
The Australian documentary series Dateline examines the enormous and unprecedented property bubble building in China [video].
The Complex Game of Public-Private Partnerships
John Calimente reviews a new book that aims to explain the complicated back-and-forth that happens when government teams up with private interests on development projects.
Debate Over New Condos, Hotel in Brooklyn Bridge Park
The plans for the newly-opened Brooklyn Bridge Park included a 150-room hotel and two 30-story to 40-story condos buildings, which planners say were necessary to make the project pencil out. As construction nears, some locals are upset at the plans.
$100 Million for HUD Sustainability Program Survives Budget Cuts
Congressional budget cuts spare some favorite programs of transportation reformers and smart growth advocates.
Greenfield Economics Explained
Aaron Renn of Urbanophile explains the allure of "greenfield economics" and that the process of urban and suburban decay is cyclical in nature.
EPA Moves Regional Head Quarters to the Suburbs
The EPA is moving its regional headquarters from downtown Kansas City (Kansas) to a suburb 20 miles outside the city, a move which "could nearly triple transportation carbon emissions associated with the facility," according to Kaid Benfield.
Urban Design Marathon Comes to Los Angeles
The 72 hour event is intended to challenge the idea that creating change in public space is long and difficult, explains the event's founder, Karem Halbrecht.
Political Skirmish Over Redevelopment Agencies in Indiana
Indiana State Sen. Luke Kenley thinks the state's redevelopment agencies have too much freedom to approve spending on large projects and has proposed a bill to curb their power, but the state House has refused to hear the bill.
Breathing Better In NY's Pedestrian Plazas
Manhattan's pedestrian plaza's are associated with increasing vitality, reducing congestion, and now this new study shows, improving air quality be reducing concentrations of nitrogen oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Borough of Carlisle
Smith Gee Studio
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
